1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and method for determining the transport properties of porous materials.
2. Problem to be Solved
During the manufacture of porous materials such as textiles, the porous materials are typically tested to determine transport properties such as diffusion, diffusion/convection and pure gas convection. Typically, a sample of the porous material is used to determine the aforementioned properties. Conventional systems and methods for determining the aforementioned properties typically require that a new sample of porous material be used to determine each of the specific properties. Changing samples for each test significantly decreases the amount of tests that can be conducted during a given unit of time. As a result, the time required for quality testing significantly increases thereby increasing overall production time and costs.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved apparatus to facilitate repetitive measurements of mass transport properties of porous materials using a single relatively small specimen.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for determining the transport properties of porous materials that is less time consuming than conventional methods.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the ensuing description of the present invention.